In-Home Ethnographic Market Research Interviews

So Much More Than Just An Interview Conducted In Someone's Home

In-home ethnographic market research interviews are so much more than interviews conducted in consumers’ homes. These immersive sessions are used to help you better understand…

• Who your consumer is by creating a qualitative lifestyle profile
  • How he/she thinks, lives, works, plays, celebrates
  • Their priorities, beliefs, attitudes, motivations and behaviors
• The environment and context in which your product or service is used; we identify points of pain, workarounds, innovative solutions
• The complex processes in which products are used in both traditional and non-traditional ways
• Consumers traditions, rituals and routines—How these came to be, how your product can optimize the experience
• How, when, where and why consumers do the things they do.

In-home ethnographic market research interviews generally last from 1-3 hours, depending on research objectives. Often, in advance of the session, we ask each participant to complete a homework assignment to help us better understand the world of this consumer. These assignments may include a photo or video diaries, day-in-the-life journals, supermarket register receipt review, etc. DRA moderators then use these as a springboard for the conversations and to add texture to the insights gleaned from the interviews.

Deeper Insights Through Conversation And Observation

In-home ethnographic market research interviews can include a single individual or as many members of a household as are pertinent to the topic. During these sessions, we strive to blend in with the setting to observe, listen, probe and use the environment as stimulus for conversation to uncover those elusive insights that can help optimize a brand and engage consumers. We watch and listen to what key individuals have to say and the reactions and behaviors of those around them. We observe facial expressions, gestures, movements, what’s played up and what’s downplayed, the points of pain and their workaround solutions. We watch, listen and ask probing questions to pick up details you’d never see in a controlled research environment.

We then take these profiles, observations and insights and craft meaningful action plans for our clients. The learning from these ethnographic market research sessions help you better understand your consumers’ wants and needs and to identify white-space opportunities to advance your brand. Depending on your research objectives, in-home ethnographic interviews can be part of a mixed-method approach or stand-alone design.